Three JeM terrorists eliminated in Kishtwar Mountains – Himalayan doctrine of counterterrorism comes into being

JK News Today Commentary

The Indian army, J&K Police and Paramilitary forces displayed its perseverance in high altitude mountains, killed three terrorists who had been playing hide and seek with the soldiers over the past month in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir. With the killing of three terrorists in a single day on Sunday- February 22, 2026, the security forces have eliminated a long-entrenched group of dreaded Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists in Chatroo area of Kishtwar district more than 12,000 feet above the sea level. This is Himalayan doctrine in the counter-terrorism operations, in line with the zero-terror policy laid out by Prime Minister Narenadra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah .

It was an outcome of the remarkable intelligence network of J&K , Central agencies , particularly Intelligence Bureau . This is the kind of synergy that has laid out pathway to elimination of terrorists hiding in mountains and forests. It has become clear that no mountain , howsoever high it may be, can shield them from counter-terrorism operations of the Indian security forces.

The military operation – codenamed as Operation Trashi- had been going on in the high mountains for the past over one month as the terrorists had been shifting hideouts amidst high mountains where dense forests and rocky caves gave them advantage over the security forces . There were some successes, and on few occasions, the contact with terrorists made them to run. But it was on Sunday morning when the encounter resumed and by evening three terrorists, including top commander of Jaish-e-Mohammad group – killed. The army has confirmed elimination of three terrorists. The confirmation for the elimination of dreaded Jaish commander Saifullah .is awaited.

Saifullah , an expert in jungle warfare had been leading the terrorist group in mountains. He evades several cordon and search operations , taking advantage of the mountains , rocks and dense forests all the time. On Sunday, however, army which had been persistent in its chase of the terrorists got at them. The killing of three terrorists in mountains , rising up to 12,000 feet plus is a grand success. The White Knight Corps of the Indian army, troops of which are deployed along the LoC in Rajouri, Poonch and Jammu districts , and deployed for anti-terrorism operations in the hinterland , in a [post on X- gave details of the encounter.

It was almost in chronological order – on Sunday morning , it stated that contact has been established with the terrorists and encounter started . That in it gave an indication that the Indian army has been successful in chasing and tracing the terrorist who had been escaping cordon and search operations of the army for weeks. By the afternoon, came the news of one terror killed, later it came out with the confirmation of two terrorists , and by evening the number rose to three. With one terrorist eliminated more than a week ago, it is being calculated that all the members of this hardened terror group have been neutralized . The army is taking its time to search the encounter site to doubly sure that the group has been eliminated completely with all its members dead.

This Operation Trashi had become a matter of prestige for the Indian army, J&K police and other wings of security forces as the terrorists were prolonging their lives by moving around the mountains, giving slip to the security forces. Each passing day was a test of nerves for the security forces . The soldiers were braving sub zero temperatures ,and keeping vigil in the dense forests , not knowing where from terrorists would emerge .

At the moment the mountains are covered with snow. Heavy snowfall in January served as a force-multiplier for the terrorists as they could stay in caves . They were waiting for melting of snow so that they could come down and strike in the populated areas . This was the real apprehension of the security forces , as that raised the potential of Pahalgam ( April 22, 2025) terror strike in the hilly villages and towns . Terrorists who mowed down 26 civilians, 25 of them tourists in Baisaran Valley in Pahalgam last year. Thereafter the terrorists who carried out the carnage were moving in the jungles and mountains for more than three months, until they were eliminated in mountains overlooking Dachigam , wild life sanctuary , under operation Mahadev on July 28, 2025 .

The focus of the terrorists has shifted to mountains in the recent years, especially after maximum of them were killed in surgical operations in towns and suburbs . They felt heat of security forces operations and started taking refuge in jungles and mountains .

The Northern Command chief Lieutenant General Pratik Sharma was monitoring the situation on daily basis . He, and White Knight Corps Commander Lt. Gen. P. K Mishra visited the densely-forested encounter site several times, reviewing the situation and boosting morale of the soldiers engaged in the Operation . The frequency of their visits increased as they felt that the operation was taking too ,long to conclude as the nation was watching with the abated breath the outcome of the gun battle that had resulted in supreme sacrifice of a couple of soldiers and injuries to few more .

In his review meetings that Home Minister Amit Shah chaired in Delhi and Jammu in January and February respectively , he had shared nation’s concerns with the army generals and heads of paramilitary and J&K police. The residual militancy , he had stated, were becoming a sort of embarrassment , and he had served a three-month deadline for the security forces to eliminate all the terrorists hiding in mountains and forests. They were told that they should do whatever is needed to eliminate terrorists . In his review meeting in Jammu on February 6, 2026, among others Indian army chief Upendra Dwivedi was also present . Subsequently, the army chief had instructed the troops not to leave any effort in eliminating the terrorists , no matter where they were , or hiding. The instructions were to go all out after them.

The killing of these terrorists in the mountains had become important to defeat Pakistan’s narrative that that struggle of Kashmiri youth for their rights was going on. Pakistan has a habit of presenting its own nationals – highly-trained terrorists, experts in mountain warfare, as Kashmiri militants . The fact, however , is that all of these terrorists were of Pakistani origin.

The intelligence agencies put the number of these terrorists at 80 . They said all of them were Pakistanis , trained in the mountains close to Afghan border, and some of them had fought in Afghanistan until the Afghan Taliban took the country in August 2021.

Today’s success will send a clear message to Pakistan and its terrorists operating in J&K that there is no escape for them from the security forces. Mountains cannot prolong their lives.